When the EHF European League continues with the main round in February, SG Flensburg-Handewitt will already have 4:0 points to their name. At the end of Group A, they won 38:35 (16:17) against second-placed Irudek Bidasoa Irun on Tuesday evening. The SG's top scorers were Johannes Golla (9), Marko Grgić (8/3) and Niclas Kirkeløkke (7).
The colors changed from red to blue, white spots of light wandered across the stands - the overture was once again a visual feast for the eyes in the "Hell North", which was very well filled for a Tuesday evening. However, the game got off to a somewhat rocky start. The SG trailed 1:4 after five minutes. Compared to the Gummersbach home game, the starting seven was changed in three positions. Obviously not all the adjustments were right at the start. In particular the passes to pivot Johannes Golla worked well, while the visitors from Irun shone with a Kempa trick. Aksel Horgen converted a counter-attack to make it 9:9 and the biggest cheer in the first half came when Kevin Møller saved a seven-meter penalty. Although Niclas Kirkeløkke now had a run, it was not possible to take the lead. Johannes Golla fought his way through to make it 16:17 seconds before the break.
Improved performance in the second half
The restart belonged to number 17: Marko Grgić scored with determination to make it 17:17. A save by Kevin Møller gave the SG the lead for the first time: Aksel Horgen completed the counter-attack to make it 19:18. Kevin Møller saved a seven-meter penalty shortly afterwards. Right in front of the North Stand, the best starting point for a jubilant celebration with the fans. Meanwhile, Johannes Golla holed the ball into the net to make it 21:19. Bidasoa Irun sought a way out by calling a team timeout. This brief interruption did nothing to dampen the SG's momentum. Patrick Volz increased the lead to 25:21 with a left-footed double, but the nice cushion melted away to 27:26. A quick reply by Johannes Golla, decisive actions by Simon Pytlick and Marko Grgić and a number of saves by Kevin Møller gave the visitors some breathing space again. However, the lid was not put on the pot until the 58th minute, which belonged to Johannes Golla. He scored first from the circle and then from the center circle. "Hell North" and the team were able to celebrate an important international success together.
